Audio production can involve the use of many components, including microphones, wireless audio transmitters, wireless audio receivers, recorders, and/or mixers for capturing, recording, and presenting the sound of productions, such as television programs, newscasts, movies, live events, and other types of productions. The microphones typically capture the sound of the production, which is wirelessly transmitted from the microphones and/or the wireless audio transmitters to the wireless audio receivers. The wireless audio receivers can be connected to a recorder and/or a mixer for recording and/or mixing the sound by a crew member, such as a production sound mixer. Electronic devices, such as computers and smartphones, may be connected to the recorder and/or mixer to allow the crew member to monitor audio levels and timecodes.
Wireless audio transmitters, wireless audio receivers, wireless microphones, and other portable wireless communication devices include antennas for transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals which contain digital or analog signals, such as modulated audio signals, data signals, and/or control signals. Users of portable wireless communication devices include stage performers, singers, actors, news reporters, and the like.
A wireless audio transmitter may transmit an RF signal that includes an audio signal to a wireless audio receiver. The wireless audio transmitter may be included in a wireless handheld microphone, for example, that is held by the user and includes an integrated transmitter and antenna. When the RF signal is received at the wireless audio receiver, the RF signal may be degraded due to multipath fading caused by constructive interference and/or by other types of interference. This degradation may cause the RF signal to have a poor signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), which can result in bit errors that can cause audio artifacts and muting of the resulting output audio. However, muting the output audio is undesirable in many situations and environments, such as during professional stage productions and concerts. The effects of such multipath fading and interference are most prevalent in harsh RF environments where physical and electrical factors influence the transmission and reception of RF signals, e.g., movement of the microphone within the environment, other RF signals, operation in large venues, etc.
To alleviate issues with multipath fading of RF signals, and for various other reasons, wireless audio components may utilize frequency diversity and/or antenna diversity techniques. Accordingly, there is an opportunity for a wireless audio receiver system that addresses these concerns. More particularly, there is an opportunity for a wireless audio receiver system that makes use of both DFS and non-DFS channels.